President Donald Trump's pledge to create a separate Space Force military branch (see 1806180028) needlessly politicized and muddied a pressing national security issue, House Armed Services Committee member Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., said at an Aspen Institute talk Thursday. He said a separate armed forces branch isn't needed, just a more capable U.S. Air Force. Cooper said Congress and the Air Force have been aware for close to 20 years about the threat of a militarized space, but have done nothing. He said GPS has made much of the world satellite-dependent, but with China and Russia developing rival global navigation satellite systems, that dependence is “a vulnerability that could render us deaf, dumb and blind in seconds.” House Armed Services Committee member Mike Rogers, R-Ala., said Russia and China see space as an area where they can compete head-to-head with the U.S. militarily, and both have been devoting bigger parts of their defense budgets to space capabilities than the U.S. has. He said the Air Force bureaucracy is "beyond repair," necessitating a carve-out of space capabilities and personnel into a Space Corps that would focus on space issues. He said the Air Force regularly takes money from space programs for aeronautic programs. Rogers said Armed Services' vision is a corps within the Air Force, akin to the Marines under the Navy, with its own budget and own channels for promotion. He said it might not be necessary to have an entire sixth military branch that also incorporates space operations from other military branches. Rogers said a Space Corps by 2020 is possible if its structure is kept narrow like what House Armed Services is proposing.
Russia export controls and sanctions
The use of export controls and sanctions on Russia has surged since the country's invasion of Crimea in 2014, and especially its invasion of Ukraine in in February 2022. Similar export controls and sanctions have been imposed by U.S. allies, including the EU, U.K. and Japan. The following is a listing of recent articles in Export Compliance Daily on export controls and sanctions imposed on Russia:
President Donald Trump signed a national cyber strategy to coordinate defensive and offensive activities, National Security Adviser John Bolton said Thursday. The strategy was finalized in connection with rescinding an Obama-era directive requiring interagency coordination on offensive U.S. cyberattacks. Bolton called the reversal a warning sign for adversaries like China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. It's the first “fully articulated cyber strategy in 15 years,” Bolton said. Presidential policy directive 20, in 2012 by President Barack Obama, established an interagency framework for approving U.S. cyberattacks. The administration eliminated that directive several weeks ago, Bolton told reporters. The U.S. no longer has its hands tied, he said: “We’re going to do a lot of things offensively, and I think our adversaries need to know that. ... We’re not just on defense as we have been primarily.” U.S. Cyber Commander Paul Nakasone, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and FBI Director Christopher Wray agreed on the change Bolton said. The new plan recognizes public and private sectors have struggled to secure systems, said Bolton. Overcoming those challenges will require technical advances and a thriving tech sector, Bolton added. He cited the WannaCry cyberattack and a recent attack against Atlanta as evidence threats aren't going away. The 2015 Office of Personnel Management data breach is one type of attack the U.S. is looking to deter, Bolton said. Asked about the administration eliminating the top cyber policy adviser position (see 1805160046), Bolton said he inherited a duplicative staffing structure. Numerous senior directors -- for defense and intelligence, for example -- don't have coordinators, he said. The strategy emphasizes “promoting American prosperity,” “preserving peace through strength,” “advancing American influence” and securing a “cyber future.” It's an extension of Trump’s May 2017 cybersecurity executive order, the White House said. DOD said Tuesday the U.S. needs to collect intelligence in cyberspace to combat malicious efforts by China and Russia, which pose an unacceptable risk to the U.S. North Korea and Iran pose similar threats, officials said.
Spotify’s monthly average user total could reach half a billion by 2023, said Macquarie analyst Amy Yong. It's “the dominant global streaming player with continued sub[scriber] growth and eventual operating leverage” and is set to renew label agreements and expand to India, Russia and Africa, she wrote to investors Thursday night.
Twitter is considering releasing historical data to increase transparency about account takedown and suspension decisions, CEO Jack Dorsey told the Senate Intelligence Committee Wednesday. Dorsey, at a hearing with Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, said the platform might expand its transparency report to include archived suspension data. Transparency is key to calming concerns, he said.
Facebook and Twitter will use Wednesday’s Senate Intelligence Committee hearing (see 1808300043) to highlight progress made combating Russian influence and other perceived bad actors. Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg is to testify alongside Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who also will appear by himself at a House Commerce Committee afternoon hearing (see 1808290054). Senate Intelligence leadership, who invited Alphabet CEO Larry Page, declined subsidiary Google’s offer to send Senior Vice President-Global Affairs Kent Walker. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai also continued his scrutiny against such platforms.
Facebook and Twitter removal of nearly 1,000 suspicious accounts this week signals social media platforms are making progress combating malicious content (see 1808220032), Senate Intelligence Committee leadership told us Wednesday. Ranking member Mark Warner, D-Va., said the committee’s Sept. 5 hearing with Facebook, Twitter and Google will let lawmakers determine what additional “guardrails” are needed from Congress.
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director nominee Kelvin Droegemeier outlined his vision for the office to maintain a leadership role on spectrum policy, cybersecurity and emerging tech issues during President Donald Trump's administration. He said during a Thursday Senate Commerce Committee hearing he aims to ensure “continued American leadership in science and technology.” Members' questioned Droegemeier on OSTP's future role in the administration, as expected (see 1808220036). Most of the interest was on the office's function in science policymaking.
The private sector might benefit from hack-back authority, a controversial concept exempting the private sector from cyber prosecution when it acts in self-defense, said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. Tuesday. His comments came the day after Microsoft announced action taken against Russia-linked hackers attempting to exploit visitors to websites of the Senate and conservative think tanks.
Apple is the latest tech interest to decry new U.S. tariffs related to intellectual property disagreements, and those recently proposed by the Trump administration on Chinese goods (see 1807260024 and 1807240031). Tariffs "show up as a tax on the consumer and wind up resulting in lower economic growth” that can sometimes bring about "significant risk of unintended consequences,” said CEO Tim Cook on a quarterly earnings call Tuesday after regular U.S. markets closed.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Wednesday he will roll out a plan “in the weeks ahead” to bolster FTC authority and resources for protecting Americans' data. Asked after the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in which he made the announcement (see 1808010074), Wyden declined to offer exact detail about whether his “plan” is legislation, a resolution or another vehicle. Protecting private data is going to be a “national security issue,” Wyden said during the hearing, accusing Russia and Cambridge Analytica of exploiting Facebook to abuse personal information. “A significant part of the failure is the fact that the Federal Trade Commission doesn’t have the authority or the resources to be a tougher cop on the beat, and I’m going to be rolling out a plan to fix that in the weeks ahead,” Wyden said.